100 years ago: Playground movement wraps up first summer of organized fun

"99 Again Yesterday -- Tuesday Must Divide the Honors With Wednesday. -- Yesterday has equal claim to the hot weather record with the day preceding a temperature of 99 degrees above the zero mark having been reached yesterday afternoon.... There was every indication of a rain last night but after a light shower the clouds passed over and there was no noticeable change in the temperature because of the rain. It was an excellent opportunity for a little cooling off but it was wasted and today was another hot one."

"Organized play is to continue [at South Park] for the rest of this week. For about three months the children have been given the benefits of an outdoor playground with a leader to direct their fun. The equipment has been gradually increased until there are now tennis, basketball, and volley ball courts, several swings, a sand pile and a shoot-the-chutes. Playgrounds have been started near the Pinckney and New York schools. Next year it is intended to have the plans include the children of North Lawrence and another playground may be equipped there."

"Seventeen thousand common wooden chairs were used to seat the Coliseum in Chicago for the Republican National Convention. When the convention was over these chairs were sold at a cut price to dealers and at least two of the dealers in Lawrence, Eriksen and Lee Riling, bought some."

"There is on exhibition in the Journal-World office a specimen of what grows in the water at Lawrence. It was taken out of a condenser and the size of it indicates that we can raise some mighty unusual things in our water. When will Lawrence get busy and have good water?"